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Southland Times, Issue 1666, 22 November 1872, Page 2

We are informed that a memorial of the inhabitants of Invercargill and the vicinity, for a commutation of the sentence of death passed upon Caroline Witting for the murder of her three children, is being prepared by Mr Wade, who at the request of the Judge undertook to watch the case for the prisoner. The memorial will shortly be circulated for signature. We are glad to learn that the repairs to the Wallabi have been so far completed as to render the vessel again seaworthy. She will proceed down the river this afternoon to receive a cargo of timber for Dunedin. The immigrants' barracks which it is proposed to erect at Stewart's Island will, consist of three wings, calculated to afford aecom modatioa for 150 persons, exclusive of the officials connected with the establishment. An accident occurred at the Edendale cutting of the Mataura Railway on Wednesday, the"2oth hist., to a laborer named Jame9 M'Kinnon, engaged in loading the earth waggons. By the fall of an overhanging mass of s and, the sufferer was knocked down, and sustained a fracture of , the right thigh, ali ttle above the knee. He waß at once removed to the Hospital, and the fracture was reduced ' by Dr G- rigor. M'Kinnon is a married man residing at the Makarewa. On the same day a youth named Barry was admitted into the Hospital from Orepiki in a far advanced stage of consumption, who had been severely injured some time since by the falling of a horse, by which several ribs ha I been broken. There are at present fifteen cases in the Hos pital, including several cisaa of fracture an! other severe injuries. A meeting of the Presbyterian congregation was held in the Church on the evening of Tuesday last to commemorate the tercentenary of the death ot John Enox, when addresses were delivered by the Rev. Mr Waters, on the condition of Scotland in the tliuc? of Knox.j ,ljjf;the Rev. Mr Stobo, on the life of the- great Reformer ; and by the Rev. Mr Banncrinan on the principles of Presbyterianism. , At the meeting of the Southland Land Board on Tuesday, there were present the Commissioner of Crown Lands, and Messrs M' Arthur and Duudai. Two applications by Peter M'Keliar, for 810 acres and 311 acres, Hokanui district, run 207, being the temporary reserve thrown open for sale on the 18th inst., were allowed to stand over that they might be brought under the Oreti railway contract. On the application of Robert Taylor, 750 acres in the Hokanui district, run 119b, were withdrawn from sale for satisfaction of the Bluff Jetty completion contract. On the application of Henry Young it was resolved that any improvements made by him on the 20 acres of bush reserve which he applied for at last meeting will be valued in the usual way and paid for by the purchaser when the land is thrown open for dale. We are indebted to a private ]tele<jratn .Jpr the information that a serious fire occurred iq Auckland on the morning of Wednesday last, by which the Custom houee, Post office, Telegraph office, and a number of other buildings 1 in the neighborhood were destroyed. Owing to the carelessness or incompetency of those entrusted with the management of the Press Association business in Wellington, we have received no detailed .intelligence of the occurrence, further than that Mr Lemon, the Manager of the Department, had forwarded batteries and other telegraphic implements to Auckland, to replace those which, it is to be presumed, were totally destroyed by the fire. At the meeting of the Town Council last night, all the members were present, with the exception of Councillor Tapper. A letter was read from Meesrs M'Pherson and Co., agents for the s.s. Wallabi, requesting the removal of the mudbank at the end of the jetty, stating that unless it were removed the steamer could not return to the port. The clerk was instructed to replj that steps had been taken before the accident for the removal of the bank, the lessees of the jetty having undertaken the work. It was further resolved that the engineer should be requested to see that the work be accomplished without delay. A letter from the Provincial Under-secretary, enclosing a memorandum from the Provincial Solicitor, stating his opinion that the Council- could not lease the town belt for a period longer than three years, was referred to the Solicitor of the Corporation, some portions of the belt having already been let for seven years. The Council then proceeded to consider the general conditions of contracts prepared by the Public Works Committee. Some modifications were made in. the proposed conditions, ■which it was ultimately resolved should be referred to the solicitor before being finally adopted. The estimate of street works, to the amount of £5365 10s, submitted by the engineer, was read, and it was resolved to hold a special meeting on Monday night, to prepare a schedule of works to be constructed out of loan. For the credit of Southland, wo are glad to hear that the long-woollod ewes which obtained the prizes for the beat in the yard at the Chrißtchurch and Timaru shows, were bred by the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, in

I Southland ; and also bhafc the ewe which secured tho samo prize at Oamaru was bred by the Company from sheep shifted to the north from Southland. All three were Laicesters, and took the prizes against Lincolns, Bomneys, and Cotswolds. The Treasurer to the Hospital reports through our columns hie receipt of £5 fro:n Mr George Printz, £1 from Mr Fitzgerald of Orepuki, and 10a, proceeds of swag of Barnet, a deceased patient, by the Curator of Intestate Estates The following notification from the stamp department appears in the Government Gazette : — "Persons holding adhesive stamps of the value of twopence may, by requisition on the stamp office of tho Province, or on any depository of stamps, exchange tho samo for an equivalent value of adhesive stamps at one penny, or any other denomination. Persons holding stamps at twopence, impressed on blank forms of cheques, drafts, or receipts, may exchange the same in like manner for adhesive Bt*mp3 of other 5 denominations. But no exchanges of stamps at | twopence, impressed on blank fornQ9 of cheque* ! or drafts, will be mado after the 30th November proximo, except at the reduced value of one penny." A prisoner in the Dunedin Gaol, named John Wardens, alias Gallagher, received, on the 15th inst., twelve lashes for repeated acts of insubor'dination. Mrs Colclough, of Auckland, intends to visit Dunedin shortly for the purpose of lecturing on " women's rights." Mr Steward, M.H.R., addre3S«d hia constituents at Oamaru on the 15th inst , when a vote of thanks was passed and recalled. A vote of want of confidence was then proposed and seconded. A vote of confidence was proposed and seconded as an amendment, but neither was passed. Mi- QiUies, M.H.ft., addressed hia constituents in Auciland on the 15th inat., when a vote of c onfidence was passed unanimously.